Stress and Your Child Hot Springs National Park AR

Stress affects children differently as they grow. Preschool children often suffer stress because of situations that arise at home or in daycare, abrupt changes in the family structure or alterations to their daily routines. For grade school children, stress can be linked to a desire to please parents, teachers, and coaches. This age group can also be adversely affected by school and their new found social life.

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Stress and Your Child

For many people the words childhood and carefree are interchangeable. Lazy summer days, best friends, and Friday night pizza parties are the stuff childhood memories are made of. Unfortunately, so is stress. Stress, the overwhelming feeling of self-doubt in one s ability to cope, has become as much a part of childhood as Little League.

As society in general, and parents in particular, experience greater levels of stress, so do our children. For many adults, stress is commonplace and easily identifiable, but for children it can be foreign and frightening. Feelings of sadness, anger, and hopelessness are not part of a typical child s day. Therefore when stressed, they become confused and require help shifting through these feelings.

Stress Through the Stages

Stress affects children differently as they grow. Preschool children often suffer stress because of situations that arise at home or in daycare, abrupt changes in the family structure or alterations to their daily routines. For grade school children, stress can be linked to a desire to please parents, teachers, and coaches. This age group can also be adversely affected by school and their new found social life. These types of stressors also have an impact on preteens and teens, as does dating and the academic pressure related to college admissions.

As with adults, children have unique reactions to stress depending on their personalities and predispositions. Some children act out while others become withdrawn. Some have nightmares, and some exhibit physical symptoms such as stomach aches. Therefore, the first step any parent must take towards helping their child manage stress, is to identify it.

Elementary Age Children: Children, ages four to eleven, are constantly changing, developing, and trying new behaviors. This makes it somewhat difficult, but not impossible, for parents to pinpoint stress. When children in this age group are experiencing stress they may react by:

Preteens and Teens: This group of children, ages eleven through eighteen, is plagued with a variety of growing pains. No longer children, but not quite teens, this group is noted for its rebellious nature, mood swings, and desire for privacy. These characteristics are often confusing to parents and mock stress. Careful attention should be paid to these children because when additional stressors compound the stress associated with puberty, the results can be overwhelming. Adolescents and preteens react to stress with: - Prolonged anger - Low self-esteem - Extreme behavior - Reb...

There are parents, siblings, teachers, and friends. There are also characters who are dealing with the same situations they are. In this way, stories help children know they are not alone in their problems. They also let them see someone else handle the issue. Once exposed to how a storybook character masters a difficult situation, children are often inspired to tackle their own problems.